Music Review: "Crimes Against Totality" by Sole

Almost exactly a year ago, Sole released „A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing”, the record that saw him back in top form, reinvigorated and sounding fresher than ever. Little did we know, “ARCOEE” was to be the beginning of a trilogy of records. A trilogy that “Crimes Against Totality”, Tim Holland’s latest solo album, concludes.

Click on the cover to go to the album stream on Bandcamp.

By now Sole’s probably the most featured music artist on this website, and that’s not simply because he releases albums more often than I change my bed sheets (hyperbole, folks). It’s because everything he dropped lately has been really, really good. Where many of his contemporaries have been slowly losing steam since their heyday, Sole’s been picking up the pace, improving and sounding more hungry than ever. Still, two stellar records in a row is a hard act to follow. Holland could try to stick as close to what worked on “ARCOEE” or “No Wising Up No Settling Down”, or go to the more risky route and keep changing the formula. If the first option doesn’t seem like a very “Sole” thing to you, then you’re right – he chose the latter.It’s quite surprising, that even though many of the songs on this album have started their life during the “ARCOEE” sessions (there's just a few songs older than that, dating back to 2008), “Crimes Against Totality” sounds very different than its predecessors in the trilogy. Sonically, this record has a more cohesive sound than the previous two, even though the list of producers is still quite long (Thavius Beck, Spencertron, Egadz, Crushcon7, Fanesha Fabre, Hollagramz and frequent collaborators Man Mantis and Skyrider were all on board for this project). It also sounds a little more polished (I think it’s something about the way it’s mixed), and that’s a good thing here, as it fits the music. A lot of the beats have a very electronic style to them, though they often incorporate instruments – just check the guitars on “Classwar”. That song also has a change in the middle, where the beat switches to a dance one (very reminiscent of “Prole”, from his last solo album). Only Sole could have that on a track, and still sound punk as hell.

Lyrically, it’s a pretty personal record, with Sole touching on such topics as finding himself, both in his personal life and in music. These themes are present in a few songs throughout the record, but one of the tracks to build on them the best is “Simple Man” - a huge highlight of “CAT”, featuring some fantastic Sole verses, set to an explosive Man Mantis beat. “Life ain’t shit but running out of time” delivered in that trademark, no-nonsense style, makes for a song that immediately gets its claws into you.

The introspective style is also at the forefront on “Coffee and Spilled Wine” (produced by Egadz), another highlight and one of the most interesting songs on the album. Lyrics like “I’ve been all around the world, but nobody knows me really/ The only thing I ever ran from is mediocrity” or Sole talking about concerns for his own mental health and bringing a child to the world, when he could barely afford to feed himself, give a very good insight into who he is. “Coffee and Spilled Wine” also exemplifies how, in some ways, “Crimes Against Totality” brings Sole full circle. It’s not a “throwback” or anything, but it’s a song that manages to sound both like the new, post-ARCOEE stuff, and some of the best of the artist’s early works, at the same time. It’s very cool, and that flow switch-up at the beginning of the second verse? I love that.

When I first heard “Crimes Against Totality” I thought it’s less diverse (mostly sonically) than the previous two solos. I thought that somehow worked against it. That was pretty dumb, as far as first impressions go. Sure, the previous two records were probably more varied in style, but somehow everything works together so well on “CAT” that I think it may become my favorite of the three albums. And it’s not like this album lacks variety, far from it. In fact, one of the things I liked the most on this record is how Sole uses his vocals – I don’t mean just switching flows (and he does that a lot), but the parts where he sings for a bit are actually pretty awesome. Even little things like in the opening track, “Dark Matter”. I know - fixating on flows and vocals on a record from an artist with some of the best lyrics and most interesting things to say in music (plenty of that here) may be a little odd, but I gotta give praise. A good voice, and using it in more ways than one, are things I always pay attention to, and Sole has quite a lot of that here.

“Crimes Against Totality” is a great record in its own right, and a perfect closing chapter to the ARCOEE trilogy. Sole himself, his politics and his worldviews, are as engaging as ever, and it’s fascinating seeing him evolving as an artist in recent years. All the producers Holland worked with here brought their A game, too, but I think Man Mantis has been particularly knocking it out of the park – both “Simple Man” and the great “Jungle of the Real” are among the best joints on the album. If you like what Sole’s been doing after getting back to recording solo albums, then you will love “Crimes Against Totality”. If you’re a new fan, the whole trio of records are some of the best stuff I’ve heard in recent years. Make sure to check them out.

"Crimes Against Totality" is out now. Buy/stream the digital version of it here. Get the physical copy on Sole's website. Leave your thoughts on the album/review below.